


News

by Shevron



Series: Familylife [6]
Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: F/M, Interspecies Relationship(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-16
Updated: 2020-02-16
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:01:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22738453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shevron/pseuds/Shevron
Summary: Often the news are just boring, but sometimes they can change lifes.
Relationships: Judy Hopps/Nick Wilde, Mick Fries / Bo Beep
Series: Familylife [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1603087
Kudos: 4





	News

**Author's Note:**

> This is about the events of my story "The ISM", but from the view of a wolf and his family.
> 
> The art at the end is from the talented artist OceRydia.
> 
> [Sweet Valentine 2020 edition #1 Mick and Bo](https://www.deviantart.com/ocerydia/art/Sweet-Valentine-2020-edition-1-Mick-and-Bo-829606812)

It was a sunny Tuesday and while Mick was busy with cleaning the tavern, the TV in the corner was showing the news.  
“… And now to the mysterious announcement from the ZPD. Even after numerous inquiries to it, the speaker of the ZPD stated only, and I quote: ‘It will shatter big parts of the society as we know it!’  
Whatever that will be, I´ve got the feeling we will have to deal with it for a while.  
And now to the weather with…”

He felt like in one of those infomercials, rolled with his eyes and giggled.  
“Now come to us and buy this essential new thing nobody needs.”  
The weather was far more interesting.

He could only laugh, when his guests started to talk about this ‘big announcement’ almost constantly.  
>It seems they made their jobs right, if there is such a hype for it.<

It was not surprising when he was asked to open the tavern, at least for them, that early, so they could watch it together...  
Mick had to confess he was curious how his friends would react, when they get that they are hustled to waste their time for some kind of PR-gag.  
So it was no big sacrifice, when he agreed to do it...  
What de didn´t expect was Bo´s curiosity and the ones who could have given them some really valid information didn´t show up in those days. But Judy and Nick are probably just loaded over both ears with work.

The sun was shining above the city, the air was clear and a wolf was walking down the street. Arms full with grocery-bags his muzzle showed an annoyed expression.  
That changed only, when he saw the coat of arms of his beloved tavern.  
He entered the building through the backdoor, put everything down and took a seat.  
“I bet you are glad when this is over, right?”  
Mick bend back, till he could see Bo standing behind him.  
“It´s as if there are no other topics anymore…  
‘What do you think the announcement is about?’  
When this is over I will open a bottle of good wine, a piece of extraordinary cheese and I want you in my arms. Maybe we close the tavern for today?”  
“Sounds very tempting, but I don´t think our guests would like it if we close on such a short notice.”  
Bo gave him an upside-down-kiss.  
“But maybe we close a bit earlier, if not much are there?”  
“Deal.”

Only a few minutes left. The tavern was fuller than expected, but that was of no importance. They would see the press-conference and leave after that.

Fabienne Growley was still talking to some of the guests to hear their thoughts untill it came to the moment so many were eagerly awaiting:  
Chief Bogo took place behind the Podium in front of the ZPD.

Ladies and gentlemammals, thank you for appearing today. The ZPD and the animals that represent it serve the city; the inhabitants of this city. Every resident has the right to express his opinion and to fight for justice where he sees injustice.

Mick rolled his eyes before he made a maw-gesture with his paw, while grumbling.  
“Bla, bla, bla. Such a bullshit.”

One of my mammals came to me and asked me to allow him to take this path and I not only allowed this as Chief of the ZPD, but also support him as one of Zootopia's residents in this matter. So with that I'll give the stage to Officer Nicholas Wilde.

The wolf´s ears shot up and now the show had his full attention.

Thank you Chief Bogo. Dear ladies and gentlemammals…  
Zootopia, the city where everyone can be anything, is not perfect. Not even the greatest optimist would say so. And I would know... I happen to know her.”

A giggling-fit did go through the crowd in the TV and the tavern alike.  
Mick even added a laugh to it.

But everyone can work to get closer to this ideal.

>Ok, what´s next?<

“Officer Hopps, would you please come forward?”  
It came unexpectedly and she hesitated for a moment until she felt something on her shoulder and she saw a hoof belonging to her chief. He showed her a small smile and pointed his head towards the podium.  
With uncertain steps she stepped to Nick's right next to the podium.

“Officer Judy Hopps and myself are good examples of how the risk of approaching this ideal can prove successful.  
A fox: lying, a thief, a danger to every decent animal in the city... And I could prove myself and join the ZPD.  
Thanks to a rabbit... small and weak. Completely unsuitable for the police service. She, too, has proved herself and belongs to the ZPD.”

“HELL YEAH! That you did!”  
A chorus of voices made their agreement clear to that.

“Neither prey nor predators are bound by laws to perform certain professions. It is merely common and partly obvious due to their natural abilities.”

>Yes?<

“No one is bound by laws to live anywhere. But prejudices sometimes do not allow decent animals to settle in decent neighbourhoods.”

“Stop beating around the bush and spill it!”

“Even relationships are not prohibited by law. No one could be arrested just because he falls in love with someone who belongs to another species. Yes, I'm talking about the ‘inters’. But these couples carry a social stigma, which they sometimes have to carry with them throughout their lives.”

If he took the noises of those in front of the ZPD into account they are as confused as those in the tavern…

“These are blemishes that are in the society and should be fought there by each one. It's not primarily about politics or laws.

But what is forbidden by law is this: Starting a family!”

Everyone went quiet at this.  
Mick thought about Dwight and the luck he had just because he knew Judy.  
Without her he wouldn´t be as happy as he was.

“There are interspecies relationships where the species are similar enough that it may be possible to procreate offspring, but for most, this is not the case.  
In such cases, adoption is not possible because the companions are not married... they can´t be... even among the species that have been proven to take only one companion in their lives.

That is unfair in my opinion!”

>Ok. I got, what you mean. But…<

“That's why I've launched an initiative to allow marriage for interspecies couples, including all rights and responsibilities that go with it.”  
Many ‘Ohhh's’ and ‘Ahhh's’ went through the crowd, but fortunately no ‘Buhh's’...

“OH MY GOD! Is that really happening?!”  
Other couples made similar comments… especially those of them who were inters.

“Officer Hopps here has taught me a lot about dreams and hopes: You should never lose hope, even in the darkest hours.  
But something else is inevitable: faith and trust!

Of course, I hope that my initiative is successful, but thanks to her, I have found my faith again...  
The belief in this city; to their inhabitants...

My trust…  
My trust that the citizens will not succumb to hatred for the sake of hatred and will support me.

My faith and trust are so strong that I can do the following…”

>Moment… He… He won´t…<

A quick nod was the signal for Bogo to lead the special guests of honor around the corner.  
Meanwhile, Nick jumped off the stage and walked in front of the podium, so his eyes were on par with Judy’s.  
His eyes went past her and Judy ventured a look behind her... and froze when she saw her parents and Nick's mother standing behind her... Their faces were filled with confusion, surprise and disbelief.  
Nick made a move that was already disclosing everything.

No one made a sound.  
He was on his left knee, looking at a box in his paws.

>OH MY… He really…<

“Five years ago you found an old, bitter fox and not only saved his life repeatedly … you've done so much more.  
You saved him from himself, you saved his soul...  
And every day, you made it so that I want to make the world a better place...  
That's why I ask you, Judith Laverne Hopps:”

He held the opened box up to Judy.

“Will you fulfill my selfish request and make my life perfect as Judith Laverne Wilde?”

“You stupid, insane, absolutely crazy fox!”

More than one pair of paws and hooves had shot up when he had dropped to his knees.  
Her lips moved, but it took a few moments for her to even make a sound.

“... you ... miserable ... mendacious ... greasy ... stupid ... fox ... Of course I will!”

She literally jumped into his arms and gave him a kiss in front of the cameras, which was just short of indecent.

Mick hadn´t noticed, but he had taken Bo in his arms and was now crying into her wool…

The shock of it had paralyzed many of the mammals, and more than one couple had tears in their eyes…  
Not only because of Nicks display of faith, but for their friends and themselves.

It wasn´t surprising the topic of the day was the ISM, the initiative for the Inter Species-Marriage and after the broadcast was barely something else found in the news.

But the second highlight of the day was when first Fabienne Growley reached into her jacket, pulled out a pin the size of her paw and held it in the direction of the camera, and after that Peter Moosebridge showed his own pin with the words ‘Marriage for love’.

To see this open support for them from famous people like that, showed how much the city had changed in just the last few years, thanks to a small bunny and her fox shaking society awake.

Mick had no sleep that night. Even Bo´s presence in his arms couldn´t calm him down enough to find sleep…  
A thought had manifested in his head and he couldn´t shake it away since the broadcast of Fabienne Growley and Peter Moosebridge…

Dwight was shocked to see his father sitting in a kitchen, when he came to prepare his breakfast.  
“Good morning champ. Want a hot cocoa?”

The young buck was watching the wolf sceptical, before taking the offered cup.  
“What´s the matter? Usually you are sleeping at this time…”

Mick smiled before he answered.  
“Couldn´t sleep.”

A bowl with some cereals was offered too and he watched his son eating with a strange look.  
“What?”  
“I´ve thought about something…”

The sun raised above the roofs and flooded the kitchen through the big windows, declaring the beginning of a new day.  
Strangely he wasn´t tired and prepared breakfast for his mate, but despite his usual habit to ignore the news mostly, just the introduction-song of ZNN let his hears shot up.

"Welcome to ZNN. I am Fabienne Growley and with me is my dear colleague Peter Moosebridge. The expected reaction of the Pure Blood Movement to the Interspecies marriage initiative have arrived today in the early morning hours in the form of an..."  
She had to clear her throat.  
"... ‘open letter’ ... And although we as a news channel are legally obliged to publish such letters, it is not possible for us to publish the original due to the nature of the wording and the phrasing. Peter and I read the letter and were appalled by what PBM wrote... Our legal department has reviewed the facts and concluded that it is the only legally and morally acceptable form to give a summary of the content."

>And here came the puritan assholes… It was too beautiful to be true…<

"I totally agree with you Fabienne and I hope, especially in the interest of the younger inhabitants of our great city, that our valued colleagues, be it television, radio or newspaper, feel the same way...  
As expected, the letter said that Mayor Cathleen Velvetpaw had to nip in the bud this 'affront to nature' that is supposed to be the ISM initiative.  
After all, she is a morally correct woman who has found her companion in her own species and can prove the correctness of nature with her three offspring."

“Oh, Cathleen! You can´t be so stupid and concede to those dumbasses!”

"What was unexpected, though, was the quick reaction from the town hall. A press conference is scheduled to take place at noon today in front of the town hall...  
Usually, high offices in particular, allow themselves a certain amount of time to calculate their reactions and first rework the answers several times and formulate them diplomatically so that they can declare interpretation in their favour according to the reaction of the inhabitants. What do you think Peter? Is that a good or a bad sign?"

Peter took the lead, "That's a good question Fabienne. Mayor Velvetpaw has not been active on the political scene for a long time, but has always attempted to meet the wishes of the residents in a broad way, but has also made unpleasant decisions. And even if you don’t like it, the Pure Blood Movement is not a group of three animals that just want a little bit of attention. Therefore, unfortunately, I cannot tell whether she chooses the ISM initiative or not. But no matter how she chooses, I am convinced that this political exchange between ISM and PBM is far from over. "

>Bye, bye good mood.<  
Mick took a look at the clock at the wall.  
“At least only one hour.”  
“What is in an hour?”  
He looked over to the voice and saw his beloved Bo there…  
Without a word he took her into his arms and pressed his lips against hers.  
“The PBM want to cause trouble. Today at noon Cathleen will hold a press-conference regarding their open letter.”  
“I think we shouldn´t think the worst. She´s integer and I doubt she would support this bigotry.”

It was rare, but he was tense shortly before the broadcast. He didn´t want to think of the worst case, but he saw it before his eyes…

"Ladies and gentlemammals, thank you for attending in abundance and timely manner.  
As you all know, this morning an open letter from the Pure Blood Movement regarding the Interspecies Marriage Initiative was received.  
First of all, I would like to thank the ladies and gentlemammals of the press for following ZNN's example and not reproducing the adult content verbatim."  
Mick was chewing on his claws…  
>Come on! Spit it!<

"Before you complain now, I am referring to the words; not on the content."  
With a slap on the lectern, she reaffirmed her statement, bringing calm to the audience.

“…”

"Let's not fool ourselves: no matter what I say, I'll step on someone’s tail. So I will speak directly my honest opinion. This one…"  
She held up a piece of paper.

"... is the open letter from PBM. And this is what I think."  
She took the letter in both paws, pulled out her claws and tore it apart in the air.

He threw his arms in the air, jumped and began to scream.  
“YYYYEEEEEAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!”

"Yes, I found my mate in my own kind, but I married him because I love him. Not because he belonged to my species and was a male."

"Yes, I have 3 children with him and would not give them away for anything in the world. This is also because I love my mate."

"But…"  
The corners of her maw arched up, showing her gleaming white teeth as she looked toward the PBM follower.  
"... If children stand for the 'correctness of nature', that's good. I learned about a pair of goat and sheep that could produce offspring. Obviously even the PBM is for ISM!"

„PERFECT! GOOD GIRL! DESTROY THEM!!!”

"And before I forget it:"  
She reached under the desk and pulled something out. A round object that is located with many of these mammals present:  
A pin with the words 'Marriage for love' ...

Bo, at his side, was shocked. She wasn´t used to this kind of outburst. But that changed, when Mick threw his arms around her, lifted and spinned her around.

It took him a few minutes till he could calm down enough to put her down.  
“Do you have any idea, what that means?”  
“Oh, I can think of some things…”

He had some matters to attend to and was currently riding the subway.  
When he reached his station and left the train a sheep-couple with their lamb passed him.  
“You have to be cautious around preds, little one... If that pred get his nefarious plans through, moral and decency will vanish and some preds will think they can do everything with you as he wished. I just wish someone would teach that joke of a ‘Major’ a lesson.”

Mick felt like his heart stopped at that thought, but when he turned around the door was already closed.

He couldn´t shake off the feeling that Cathleen was maybe a bit… very blunt with her opinion…  
As much as it made him happy, he couldn´t get the thought out of his head that others may be thinking the same way as those sheep…  
What if one of those zealots did something to her?  
He had almost physical pains at the thought alone, so he send his friend a message about what he heard.

The answer came only a minute later.  
‘Thanks for the warning, buddy.  
Sadly such comments came up a lot since her announcement, but I talked already with the police and they will show more presence in the public. They can´t do much more without some concrete suspicion. Hopefully it´s just the shock speaking and will get quieter, when this is over…’

Mick could hide it rather well, but he was a nervous wreck, when he reached home.  
Dwight was already home from school and he pulled him directly to the side.  
“I guess you have already heard, what Nick did? And Cathleen?”  
“Of course! It seems the people don´t talk about anything else.”  
“And? What have you heard?”  
“Many are cool with it. But some are just idiots and ranting something about purity and such stuff.”  
“Can you do me two favors?”  
“Sure.”  
“Please take this with you…”  
With that he put two whistles into his son´s paw.  
“… and I found an app…”  
Mick showed Dwight his phone.  
“… if you push this big red button it will make a lot of noise. If someone is trying to do something you don´t want to do, it will alert EVERYONE who hears it.”  
“But my training…”  
“Please. I know you can defend yourself, but please do me the favour. Use at least one of those, if anything happens.”  
“Ok.”  
“And for the second one favor:”  
Dwight lifted his eyebrow.  
“The second whistle is for Felicitas, if Shevron haven´t given her one. The same for the app. I hope you will never need it, but I will feel much better, if you agree to this.”  
The buck looked at the whistles in his paw and after a moment lifted his head. His look serious.  
“If someone dares to do anything to her, I´ll do everything in my might to help her.”  
That wasn´t exactly what he wanted to hear, but with luck nothing would happen.  
“Deal.”

The first day after that Mick was no use for anything, as he had a heavy fit of paranoia. Expecting every time his phone rang some horrific message.

Bo just expected some kind of breakdown. Only when Dwight and Felicitas came back from school and did go into Dwights room, he calmed a bit down.  
When the girl said her dad had given her a whistle too, his fears subsided almost completely… At least as ‘completely’ as a paranoid father in an interspecies-relationship could be in this kind of situation…  
Mick just slumped onto the couch and was fast asleep.

During the late evening, the tavern was rather full, ZNN showed some breaking news:  
Officials of the PBM had intercepted a famous figure, nothing less than Gazelle, and wanted a statement…  
A phone-video was shown.  
“You stand for everything this city represents: Secure as possible living together! You can´t be seriously supporting this abomination of ISM!  
If that would happen every innocent prey will be hunted by preds to do as they wished!  
If you had kids, would you want to live in fear for them?!”  
Gazelle presented a grim expression and stood before the sheep.  
“If I had kids, I would be the happiest mother when they find true love. It´s one of the purest emotions someone could feel. If I would force them to just pick the least annoying one of their own species, I should be ashamed of my fail as mother. When they would fall in love and it´s another species, even a predator, I would be happy!”  
With that she turned around, almost hitting his muzzle with her short tail, and did go to the waiting car.  
Before she entered it, she turned her head to the sheep again.  
“It´s sad, someone had to declare his love in such a manner for the people to finally see the truth: Love knows no boundaries!”  
Gazelle threw something to the sheep, who caught it with his hooves.  
A pin with the words ‘Marriage for Love’.  
“You can keep it. I´ve still more than enough of them.”

A bawl did go through the tavern and cheers for the singer lasted for some minutes…  
Mick had tears in his eyes, something that happened often the last days.  
Judy and Nick, their parents, Chief Bogo and their colleagues, the ZNN anchor-men’s, Cathleen, now Gazelle…  
All those big names…  
>Could it really succeed?<

The following days were a chain of unbelievable events as the PBM tried to recruit other celebrities as their figurehead and were rejected in spectacular ways.  
And with every single day Mick felt better. His fears for his family and friends slowly disappear and the feeling the ISM could be successful grew…

"Welcome to ZNN. I am Fabienne Growley and with me is my dear colleague Peter Moosebridge. Only one more day, then the vote on the ISM takes place. According to current estimates, the PBM should not be able to achieve more than 15-20%, especially after the sometimes significant refusals of other prominent figures. Right, Peter?"

„Yes, yes, yes. I already know that…”

"As a matter of fact. The change in the law is almost certain. And even if such measures usually take weeks or even months to be implemented after approval. We once again owe it to Officer Wilde that there could be another peculiarity. According to our information, he and his lawyers have even prepared all the formalities for the ISM so that it would be theoretically possible to have the law come into effect within a few hours once the official outcome of the vote has been verified."

“Come on! Come to the po…”  
Mick stiffened as he registered, what he just heard…

"If it really succeeds in implementing everything that quickly, then I'm sure we all know who will stand before the altar tomorrow evening."

“…”

"Absolutely. The PBM would have to hope for a miracle to prevent this. However, if you look at their increasingly extreme eruptions of the past few days, I expect more members of the PBM to distance themselves from them than ISM supporters will decide against it."

“…”

The rest of the show was cut short, as the screen of the TV went black. Mick tried to turn it on again, but it didn´t react. He tried the lamp beside the couch and that was dead too…  
“Shit. What´s going on?!”

After checking the fusebox, where everything was ok, he got a very bad feeling.  
Even after more than a decade out of service some deep embedded instincts take over.  
He entered their bedroom, opened the closed and opened a small safe with a key he had always on his body… together with his dog-tags.  
Bo came through the door to the adjoining bathroom, only covered by a towel.  
“What happened?”  
“I don´t know. A blackout.”  
He took his loyal pistol, a SIG Sauer P229, from his time in the army and a magazine with 13 9mm-rounds tranquilizer-ammunition.  
“The fuses are ok, so please stay here and lock the door while I check the house.”  
It was a strange feeling to hold it for any other reason than for maintenance or for the shooting-range…  
Over the years Bo had learned to trust his instincts, but when she saw him turning with his firearm in his paws, she just put on shorts and a shirt, took a bat and locked the door behind her mate.

The logical choice was to check the doors and windows, but there was everything ok. No traces of a break in.  
After searching the house twice Mick was sure, nobody was there.  
He proceeded with caution to check the power-connection outside the building and there he found… absolutely nothing.  
He saw one of his neighbours checking the connection too.  
“Any idea what happened?”  
“No clue. As far as I know something like that shouldn´t happen… the others don´t have power either. Seems to be something bigger.”  
“Ok.”

There he had a plausible explanation, but he couldn´t shake off the feeling of dread in his belly.  
He got Bo and entered the storage-room.  
“What are you looking for?”  
“The camping-radio. It works with batteries.”  
On camping-trips he have it always with him for the weather-prognosis, so it´s always in good shape.  
After he put in the batteries Mick turned it on and after some reaching he found the emergency-channel with an automatic announcement of a blackout and the order to stay at home if possible.

His belly went crazy and he tried to call Dwight, but he had no signal.  
“Shit!”  
The wolf paced around the room for some time before he growled and took a holster for his SIG and the keys to a small car he called his own. Even if he rarely used it nowadays.  
“Stay here if he comes home. I´ll go to the school.”

Within a heartbeat he left the house, entered the small garage and started the car. As if fearing it´s owners’ wrath, if it causes problems it started without much of a fuss.

Mick felt like fate has conspired against him, when the first dark traffic-lights caused multiple crashes and made it impossible to continue his way.  
He just put the car on the sideway, locked it and began to run. He was far from his prime, but the work and Bo held him fit enough for it and he made good progress.

Everywhere he went a car-crash or even a fire let him feel like in one of those post-apocalyptic movie-worlds, unsettling him even more…  
Thanks to the adrenaline in his body he didn´t feel how his body screamed or how long he was on the run. But finally he reached his destination.  
When he entered the school he wasn´t by far the only one who was worried and came here.  
Within the big hall were countless groups with kids and their parents.  
For the newcomer signs were placed to show them where the classes were placed, but he couldn´t see the sign with the class of Dwight and Felicitas…

To his luck right beside the entrance was one of the officials for questions.  
“My name is Mick Fries. Where is the class of my son Dwight Fries?”  
“Who´s his teacher?”  
The cow looked in her list after the desired info.  
“His class was on it´s way to the natural history museum.”  
Mick felt like he got hit by a sucker-punch.  
“You can´t be serious?!”  
He paced around a few moments and put his paws on his muzzle.  
“Can you at least tell me, where they are at the moment?”  
“Sadly no. The driver have to drive to the next official shelter in a case like this, but as I don´t know where exactly they were and how the traffic was, when the blackout happened, I don´t know which shelter the driver choose.”  
“Can you tell me…”  
“Sir. I can understand you are worried. But the best you can do right now is go home and wait for the power to come back. It may be hard, but imagine when he comes back home and you are not at home?”  
Mick didn´t like it, but it seemed he didn´t have a choice at the moment.

He wasn´t with a tunnel-vison anymore and registered only now, how bad it really was:  
Most of the crashes were small ones, but every now and then he could see animals who needed help.  
Mick was glad that at least some of the first-responder could get to where they were needed the most.

When he entered his home again Bo was at his side immediately.  
“Where´s Dwight?”  
“He wasn´t in the school. Why had it to be today his class made the trip to the museum?!”  
“What do you mean?”  
“His class is on a trip to the museum, but in such a case the bus-driver have to bring the kids to the next shelter. They couldn´t say where the bus was at that moment, so nobody knows where they are until the power is back and they can contact the driver.”  
“So we can only wait till the power is back.”  
The wolf began to pace trough the room and pulled at his fur.  
“I don´t know, if I can stand to ‘just wait’…”

After just a few moments she pulled him to the couch, gave him a hard push and sat on his lap.  
“Now you´ll listen: What do we have?  
A blackout.  
Not nice but nothing apocalyptic.  
Do we know where Dwight is?  
No.  
But that´s just a bad timing he´s on this trip.  
Is there even one reason to think something serious is going on?  
No!  
What will you do?  
You will put your arms around me and don´t let go until you calmed down.  
Understood?!”  
Mick didn´t answer, but pulled her tight against him.  
It helped, but he couldn´t shake the feeling off something terrible is about to happen…

He couldn´t say how long it really was, but he guessed a while when the power came back.  
Mick almost threw Bo to the side and grabbed his phone only to see he still had no signal.  
The next move was to turn the TV on to see if the news could say anything about the blackout…  
There were some news about the blackout, but it changed…  
From one moment to the other a big ram was seen.  
It held a big knife in his hooves, but the worst was the small child beside him.  
A girl he knew very well and Felicitas showed plenty of fear.

“OH FUCK!”

In the background he could see a bus and in one of the windows he could see a young buck with brown fur.

“If I had only searched for them!”

"Citizens of Zootopia. How did this perversion supporter Bogo so aptly say: Everyone has the right to fight against what is wrong. And that is exactly what we do.  
Wild and Hopps are the epitome of falsehood. A fox and a bunny? Disgusting!  
Mayor Velvetpaw was to represent the interests of Zootopia's citizens. And what does she do? She also supports these things!"

Mick began to growl…

For some time the ram ranted about how allowing those abnormities would destroy all sense of decency and moral.  
"... So it's clear: This is all about you and her perversity, Velvetpaw!"  
The girl beside him was rigid with fear and made no sound. Even as he grabbed her neck, tore her head back and put the knife to her throat.  
She closed her eyes and tears ran down her cheeks.

The remote in his paw cracked, but it was of no importance. He didn´t want to witness what he was about to see, but couldn´t avoid his eyes.

Out of nowhere Nick flew into the field of the camera and hurled him away from the little panther-girl.  
"ZPD! You are surrounded! Surrender!"  
Mick could only see it was a fox, but there was only one in blue…  
His right paw in his pocket while the left arm hung loosely down.

“OH GRACIOUS LORD THANKS!”  
Mick allowed himself a deep breath.  
“I would have shred them to pieces myself, if they had hurt her…”  
Bo at his side put her hoof on his arm.

"Wilde!"  
Everyone thought that countless cops would storm out of the corners, but when nothing happened after a few seconds, the ram with the knife spoke.

"If that were true, then we would already be tied up. You do not have as much support as you thought... Did they come to their senses?"

"Nah... they are here, I just had to step in a bit faster than planned. Hey, you wanted to murder an innocent child. No animal with just a touch of honour and decency can simply watch and let you go. Don´t you think?"

“And WHERE are they?!”

A small shadow with long ears could be seen in the background at the bus, sneaking towards the front-entrance.  
The herd moved in Nick’s direction.

Mick didn´t register that he hold his breath…

After only two steps the bus began to stutter and pulled the attention of the sheep to it.  
Nick grabbed Felicitas and tried to escape...  
Only to be stopped by a cry and a chain from her hind-paw to a ring in the floor.

"Do you think we are stupid enough to not chain the kid? Or not to make the bus unfit to drive? Obviously. But nature is on our side and has served us you abnormalities on the silver platter. ON THEM!"

“Oh… shit!”

Judy ended her futile attempts to start the engine when she heard this and jumped out of the bus.  
Judy had gone three steps off the bus when part of the flock that was approaching her split and ran to the bus. Obviously, they also wanted to do something to the other hostages.  
She had no choice but to stand in front of the door and not let anyone pass.  
Nick got the same realization when he just barely managed to stop the ram with the knife with a dive to rescue the girl.

“ENOUGH!”  
The remote was already just a paw-full of plastic and other parts, when he threw it against the wall.  
“There have to be a way to find them!”  
He took his phone in hope to reach some buddys who could maybe try to triangulate the signal, but his anger grew, when the display told him he still had no signal…

The first stormed towards them. Nick´s hits were slowed down by their wool, but nevertheless he managed to inflict painful wounds on their arms, legs, and muzzles with his claws, thus reducing the pressure on him.

Judy had no claws, but her powerful legs made her opponents go down or send them back several feet.

A harsh cry was heard and everyone in the hall seemed to freeze for a moment before they all looked at Judy. She was leaning forward, propping herself on the floor with her arms, before she straightened up and hopped on her right leg. Her left leg had an unnatural angle in the area of the knee.

Nick took a step in her direction, before he stopped himself and backed away again.

“WHERE IS THEIR DAMN BACKUP?”

This moment was too much, however, as the blade fell on the girl and Nick reflexively reached for the hoof.  
He was barely able to stop the blade, when a baseball bat hit him on the left elbow. With a cry of pain, he struck with his right paw into the muzzle of the ram and staggers back.

As if on a secret signal, the sheep stepped back and looked at their opponents, who were now injured but still standing upright between them and their hostages.

"We gain the upper hoof. All together! COME ON!"

Mick couldn´t stand it, but was doomed to stay there and watch his friends risk their lives all alone…

Nick was able to hold on well because the sheep could not hit so hard thanks to their injuries, but still some hit him.

Due to her small size, Judy was harder to hit, but the hits made it all the more painful when she had to redirect them with her bare forearms.  
However, a fatal blow came through and hurled her across the room.

She fell on a thrown-over table and on of it´s legs pierced her midsection and was dark crimson.  
Judy broke off one of the other table legs and beat it around, but an iron pipe hit her in her head and it was thrown to the right.

A strange mix of growl and whine escaped his throat as he saw this…  
He could only see the back of Nick´s head, but the growl of the fox send a shiver even through him.

The claws of his right paw drove through the throat of the nearest sheep, causing it to collapse in an ever-growing pool of blood.  
The cracking of the bones as he sank his fangs in the neck of the next ram was loud enough to hear it through the camera.  
Three more sheep fell prey to him, before he looked back, there stood the ram with panic in his eyes and the knife in his hooves...  
This was stuck to the hilt in his back.  
His maw closed around his throat and literally teared it out.

He was hit by a pole from above on his muzzle and in his ears the cracking of his bones was unnaturally loud. Another blow hit his head and Nick did go down.

“I have to go to them!”  
Bo grabbed his paw.  
“MICK! You don´t know where they are! You´ll never find them, if you don´t know where they are!”  
“But…”  
He looked on his phone again and growled again when he saw he still had no signal.  
Mick stretched his arm to let the phone share the same fate as the remote, when a loud crack could be heard from the TV.

Six Rhinos with heavy body-armor and six tigers on their backs stormed the location, rendering the sheep hitting the unconscious Nick rigid.  
Some were not able to recover from that and couldn´t evade the colossi. Leaving only big red puddles in their place.  
"ZPD SWAT! You are surrounded! Drop all weapons immediately!"

“FINALLY! There you are!”  
“Bo, we have to go!”  
“Where?”  
“To the ZPD! I think that´s the logical place to bring them.”

The ZPD was a fair distance away, but they had no choice, since the streets were still blocked at many places. So they literally run through the city.  
No one will separate them any longer than absolute necessary from their son.

Not long after a redirection to the hospital, where the kids were checked, they could wrap their arms around Dwight. Not surprising, Felicitas was in the middle of her parents, wrapped in their arms and tails. Openly crying with joy.

After the check-up and their statements, they were free to leave the hospital and both families decided to go the Fries-residence because it was just nearer.

On their way they could already see that the two kids were inseparable, Felicitas clinging to Dwight´s arm and wrapping her tail around him and him putting his free arm around her...

It hurt both pairs of parents to know what their kids had to suffer and that they couldn´t be there for them, when they needed them the most…

When they arrived the kids sat down on the couch and their mothers took the places beside them.  
Mick and Shevron decided it would be a good idea to stay in the kitchen and prepare some drinks and snacks.

A part of him was still shocked from the events, but when he saw at the panther at his side, especially the shaking paws, he decided to grab the knife before he could hurt himself.  
“… I… WE… could… have lost her… Just like that… Without warning…”  
Tears flowed down the fur of the panther.

To be confronted with one’s own mortality is something Mick knows as veteran, but for a civilian like Shevron it was much harder… Even more if it´s through his own kid…  
The wolf put his paw on the shoulder of his friend to get his attention.  
“In the army it´s a topic we have to deal with. You learn to ‘feel’ if someone can handle it or not. It may not seem like it, but even as traumatic as this event was…”  
He indicated with his shout to the living-room with their families.  
“… you and them are strong enough to overcome it. The best it to be there for each other. Just like every good family.”

In the end the food of choice were fruits and already diced pieces of cheese as for those nothing with blades were needed.  
Mick send Shevron with the first trays of food on his way and looked to the mammals in the room.  
>Just like every good family…<

It started to get dark, when Mick offered one of the rooms to the others for the night. An offer gladly accepted.  
Felicitas asked to sleep in Dwight´s room and there were no reasons against it. Sometimes they already take a nap in there.

When the kids are gone Bo got some glasses and a bottle of wine.  
“Ok. How are you two really feeling? I was already scared out of my wool and it wasn´t Dwight´s throat that ram put a knife against.”

Cathleen took a good sip from her glass before the answered.  
“At first I couldn´t believe my eyes, when he was half through his rant I thought I have to vomit and when he put that knife at her…”  
With that she emptied it.  
“… I thought he would tear my heart out of my chest. It may sound repulsive, but when Nick went down… I was… glad they continued to… bash on him…”  
Shevron put his arm around his mate and put her head on his shoulder.  
“Don´t blame yourself. You know them. They would never hold your worries against you.”  
“I know, but I feel bad regardless.”  
“Me too…”

It took them some time, but after a while, much talking and some additional bottles of wine, they could calm down enough to try to find some sleep.  
Mick and Bo had gone to bed too, but Mick still had some thoughts hunting him…

There were days in the life of a wolf, he will never forget…  
Every one of them unique but important in its own right.  
And today would be one of those days.  
Today would be the official vote about the ISM. Nicks initiative to marry his mate. Hope for so many mammals. A fair amount of that was in his tavern and awaited eagerly the result...

"Welcome to a special broadcast from ZNN. I am Fabienne Growley and with me is my dear colleague Peter Moosebridge. After the sabotage of the power-grid and the following broadcast of the PBM with which they wanted to spread their message to every citizen of Zootopia, and even far above the city-borders, we had to realize they were successful!”

“Why do you think they were successful, Fabienne?”

“Simple: The mammals have heard them and made a clear statement. Nobody wanted to have anything in common with them and that led to a historical result of 100% FOR the ISM.”

The rest of the report was drowned by the cheering of the mammals in the Old Wolf Tavern.  
His heart began to beat in his chest like it wanted to jump out of his chest and he started to pant.  
He took the remote and pressed the mute-button.  
It was impossible to explain, but with that the tavern got silent immediately after that and even his heart calmed down. Away was the anxiety and he had only one single goal ahead.

Mick stepped into the middle of his tavern and the eyes of everyone were fixed on him.  
“Bo?”  
“Yes?”  
“I remember like it was yesterday when I had to leave the army because of my injury and with me in the wheelchair Nix could barely get around. She decided we need a home-help.  
You were still a young lamb at that time and I thought you would be gone within just a few days.  
I was wrong.

You took your job very seriously and even wanted to help me.  
I was sure you can´t be serious.  
I was wrong.

A sheep would never ever think of the possibility of befriending an old, grumpy and broken wolf.  
I was wrong.

I knew it was over. I would never get back on my paws.  
I was wrong.

When I realized I like you more than a friend. It was impossible you could be more.  
I was wrong.

After we admitted our love for one another, it couldn´t be better.  
I was wrong.

Thanks to Judy and her family we got the chance to get the son we could otherwise never have.  
I would have thought that´s the absolute peak of perfection I could ever reach.  
But…”

Mick put his paw into his pocket.  
“… I don´t want to be wrong again. But for that… I need your help.”

Mick did go down on one knee in front of Bo.

“It can be better. If Dwight don´t only call you mother, but you are officially. Not only my beloved mate, but also as…”

He pulled a box out of his pocket and opened it.

“… my wife.”

Bo could only stare on the ring in it and the words ‘Marry me’ on the box.  
But after about 5 seconds she charged him, threw him on his back, straddled his belly and gave him a deep kiss in the middle of all their friends.

The cheering was even louder than after the victory of the ISM, but they couldn´t register anyone of them…  
They were in their own world of nearing perfection…

The cherry on top of it was an announcement shortly after that:  
Nick and Judy were out of danger.


End file.
